Method of turning lasts and machine used in such method



. H. F. LOEWER.

METHOD OF TURNING LASTS AND MACHINE-USED IN SUCH METHOD.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 4| I9I'8- 1,'4:10,33 3. Patented Mar. 21, 1922.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1- FIIIEJI.

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1,410,333. Patented Mar. 21, 1922.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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H. F. LOEWER. METHOD or TURNING LAsTs- AND MACHINE usso IN SUCH METHOD.

- APPLICATION FILED FEB.4, I918.

' 1,410,333. I Patented Mar. 21, 1922;

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1,410,333, Patented Mar. 21, 1922;

4 $HEETSSHEET 4- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY F. LOEWER, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

METHOD OF TURNING LASTS AND MACHINE USED IN SUCH METHOD.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY F. Lonwnn, a' citizen of the United States, and resident of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Turning Lasts and Machines Used in Such Methods, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to a method of turning lasts and a machine used in such a method, and an object of the invention is to provide for making from a single pat tern on one machine a number of lasts of different sizes in which the plane of the bottom of the heel portion will be substantially the same distance from the plane of the bottom of the toe portion in allthe diflerent sizes, so that heels of the same height may be used on all the shoes made from the different sizes.

To this and other ends, the invention consists of certain parts and combinations of' parts, all of which will be hereinafter described, the novel features being pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a frontview of the blank supporting and rotating means of a machine constructed in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section in the plane of the screw which shifts the movable spindle transversely;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section in the plane of said screw;

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5, Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a detailed section of the clutch shiftin handle;

Fig. is an end view of the toe spindle;

F ig. 8 is a sectional view of the toe spindle;

Fig. 9 shows diagrammatically a number of superposed lasts of different sizes made according to the known method; and

Fig. 10 is a similar view of a number of, different sized lasts made according to the present invention.

In the method now in use for making lasts of different sizes on the same machine from a common pattern, the different sizes are not onlyshorter in length but the distance between the plane of the bottom of the heel portion varies from the plane of the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 21, 1922.

Serial No. 215,304.

bottom of the toe'portion of the last. and as a consequence shoes made on the different sized lasts require heels of different heights. This will be apparentby referring to Fig. 9, where three lasts a, b and c are shown diagrammatically superposed one upon the other, the respective bottoms a, b and 0 of the lasts being diflerent distances from the plane 79 of the underside of the toe portion of the lasts.

In this invention a relative movement be tween the last blank and the pattern is effected during the turning so that the instep portion of the last becomes bent or deformed so to speak, thus permitting the underside of the heel portion to lie the same distance from the plane of the underside or bottom of the toe portion of the last. In Fig. 10, diagrammatic views of three lasts 1, 1 1, made according to this invention are superposed so that the bottoms of their heels coincide while their toe portions lie in the same plane 29'. The foregoing results are secured by effecting a relative movement of the axes of turning of the last blank and the pattern, preferably gradually or step-by-step in an angular direction during the time that the cutter or tool is operating on the instep portion of the blank and after an end portion such as the toe portion of the last has been formed. After the instep portion has been formed or substantially so, the relative movement between the last blank and the pattern is discontinued and during the formation of the other end portion such as the heel portion of the last, the blank is r0- tated about an axis at an angle to the axis about which it is rotated during the formation of the first end portion.

A machine for carrying out the above method may comprise an ordinary last turning machine with the pattern supporting means, and the cutter or tool controlled by the pattern by a connection which will per.- Initthe variation of the movement of the cutter for forming lasts of different sizes, such as is now in common use and need not be herein described or illustrated. In this embodiment of the invention the last-blank is supported so that its turning axis may be shifted relatively to the turning axis of the pattern. It is apparent,.however, that the invention is not limited to shifting the axis of the last blank relatively to the pattern. The invention COlllPTGllGlKlS any relative movement between the axis of the pat tern and the axis of the last blank for accomplishing the results hereinbe'lore mentioned. The last blank sumporting and retating means of this embodiment has its heel spindle 1 supported and driven in any suitable manner, as, for instance, as in the machines heretofore employed. The toe spindle 2 is mounted preferably to shift laterally and may have its free end formed with a cup pocket 3, the walls of the cup pocket having knife edges and crossed knives 4: being arranged in. the pocket. This construction permits the blank 5 to rock on the toe spindle while at the same time maintaining such a connection with the blank that the toe spindle and the shifting 1necha nism of the latter may be drivenfrom the heel spindle 1 through the last blank.

The spindle 2 preferably has a bearing portion 6 mounted to turn in the carriage '7 which, by a guide rib 8, is adapted for trans verse movement on a carriage 9. The carriage 9 may be formed with guides 10 which operate in guide-ways on the frame of the machine, permitting the carriage 9, as well as the carriage 7,to move longitudinally of the machine in order to move the spindle 2 axially. Movement of the carriage 9 may be effected by a manually operable screw 11 lo tatablc on the main frame and engaging a i O (J (J nut or screw-threaded portion 12 on the carriage 9. l

Automatic means for effecting the transverse movement of the spindle 2 to shift the axis about which the blank rotates angularly, may comprise a screw 13 mounted stationarily on the carriage 9 to one side of the spindle 2, and having a nut 14 operable on such screw. This nut is mounted to turn on, and to move with, the carriage 7, and it is provided with a disc portion 15 on one face of which a series of equidistant projections 16 is provided. Arranged on opposite sides of the nut are two gear members 11. and 19, each "of these gear members having a tooth 19'Wl1lCl1 is adapted to he brought intocooperation with the teethor projections 16 on the nut 14 when the gear member carrying such teeth or projection 19' is moved towarc the nut-1 1. The gear members 1? and 18 are mounted, respectively, on the hubs 20 and 21 of gears 22 and 2-3, connection between each gear 17 or 18 and its respectivehub be ng established by a. key 24 operating in the slot 25 extending axially ofthe hub, thu permit tingthe axialmovement of thegear member 17' or 18. The gear members 22 and 23. are mounted, respectively, on-stub shafts 26 and 27, formed on the carriage 7, and connection between the gear members'22 and 23 and the if spindle"2 is established by providing the spindle?) with two gears '28 and 29, which res )ectivel mesh'with the ears anus.

The gear members 17 and 18 mayeach be formed with an annular groove 30, and in this groove one of the projections 31 on a slide is adapted to operate. This slide 32 is guided on the frame 1' for movement in a 7 line parallel with the axis of rotation of the sitions, one of the gears 17 or 18 will have its teeth 19 cooperate with the projections 16 of the nut 141, so that any movement of the toe spindle 2 will be transmitted through the gears 28 or 29 to the gears 22 or 23, and from the latter, byway of one of the gears-17 or 18, to the nut 1 1, which will operate on the screw 13 and effect the movement of the spindle 2 transversely of the axis of said spindle.

1n the turning of thelast in this embodiment of the invention a blank is fitted, so as to be engaged at opposite ends by the heel spindle 1 and the toe spindle 2. The machine is sooperated that the cutter first forms the toe portionof the last, a relative movement in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the last taking place between the cutter and the last blank, as is common in machines of this type. After,- or about the time that the toe portion of the last is completed, the operative shifts the handle '33 so as to bring that one of the gear members 17 or 18 into cooperation with the nut 11 that will effect the movement of: the-toe spindle transversely, the cutter being shown in dot ted lines in F l. V This gradual or step-by step movement of the last, while the latter is operatingon' the instepportion, takes place whenthe sole or bottom portion of the last opposite to that in which a right last i'srotated. e i

From the foregoing it will be seen that there has been providedamethod and ma chine by which lasts of different sizes may be. formed, all sizes having the plane ofthe under side of the heel portionof the last the same distance fromthe'planeof the underside o -t the toe portion so that shoes formed on the different lasts may use heels of the same height. This result is secured by effecting a relative movement between the axes of rotation of the last blank and the pattern, preferably gradually or step-bystep during the formation of the instep portion of the last and maintaining such shifted position during the formation of the heel or remaining end portion of the last.

It is apparent that it is within the scope of this invention to form the heel portion of the last before the toe portion and to effect the relative movement between the axes of the blank and the pattern after the heel portion has been formed, then maintaining this shifted position during the formation of the toe portion.

\Vhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A method of turning lasts which consists of rotating the blank about a suitable axis while the tool is operating upon the portion of the blank which is to form the toe of the last, and shifting the blank after the toe portion has been formed to cause the blank to rotate about an axis at an angle to the first named axis so that the toe portion of the completed last will be shifted with reference to the heel portion of such last.

2. In a last turning machine, a pattern turning means, last blank rotating means, and means for effecting a relative movement between the axes of rotation of the blank and the pattern step-by-step in an angular direction during the formation of the last.

3. In a last turning machine, a pattern turning means, last blank rotating means, and means under the control of the operative for effecting a relative angular movement between the axes of rotation of the blank and the pattern step-by-step in an angular direction during the formation of the last.

4. In a last turning machine, last-blank supporting and rotating means having means for shifting the axis of rotation of the blank step-by-step in an angular direction during the rotation of the blank.

5. In a last turning machine, last-blank supporting and rotating means having means under the control of the operative for shifting the axis of rotation of the blank step-by-step in an angular direction during the rotation of the blank.

6. In a last turning machine, a pair of spindles between which the last blank is held, and automatic mechanism for moving one of said spindles step-by-step transversely of its turning axis relatively to the other spindle.

7. In the last turning machine, a stationary spindle, a driving means'therefor and, a transversely movable spindle driven and automatically moved through connection with a blank arranged between the stationary spindle and said transversely movable spindle.

8. In the last turning machine, a pair of spindles between which the blank is held, one of said spindles being stationary, and the other being transversely movable relatively to the stationary spindle, a carriage on which the transversely movable spindle is mounted, and automatic mechanism for moving said carriage comprising a nut on the carriage, a screw on which the nut turns mounted independently of the carriage and a gear on the transversely movable spindle for moving said nut.

9. A last turning machine according to claim 8, in which the nut is provided with a plurality of projections and the gear has a projection which meshes with said projections to shift the nut step-by-step.

l0. last turning machine according to claim 8, in which the gear is shiftable into and out of connection with the nut at will.

11. A last turning machine according to claim 10, in which an additional gear is provided shiftable into and out of connection with the nut at will so that the nut may be rotated in either of two directions.

HENRY F. LOEWER. 

